Hello Marc,
My name is Terra Duncan. I was adopted a long time ago. My mother told me that I had family living in Ontario. One of my family members has your name. I’m writing to see if we are potentially related. It would be lovely to hear from you so that I know either way. Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Terra Duncan
On Saturday, February 16, 2008, I was in my office at the University of King’s College working overtime when it hit me. I was entering the application of a prospective student named Marc.
M-A-R-C
I had been looking for M-A-R-K. I minimized the application screen and logged on to Facebook. I performed a search and happened upon an Ontario profile. The display picture was of a young man in a hockey jersey. He appeared to be roughly my age; far too young to be my father. All the same, I decided to send him a message. Perhaps he was a relative. It was worth a try.
I wasn’t hopeful. Every other attempt had led me to a dead end. I was completely unprepared when the following response appeared in my inbox two hours later:
Hey Terra.
Wow! I’m shocked. I always knew and hoped this day would come. I guess for 25 years we both knew this day would come and I very much looked forward to it. There wasn’t a day in 25 years I did not think of you. Yes I am your father Terra and I have been looking for you your whole life. I am very excited to talk with you. I just can’t believe how fast time flies. I’ve seen some of your pictures on Facebook. You look great. Anyway, I can leave you my phone # if you want or you can email me yours if you’d prefer. Let me know what’s best for you. WOW! I’m really looking forward to hearing from you Terra. Bye for now.
My memoir, The Robin’s Egg, outlines the details of my life from the time I was kidnapped by my mother in 1983 until I was reunited with my father in June of 2008. It chronicles the aftermath of the reunion, and the impact it had on my life and on the lives of my biological and honorary family members.
Terra Duncan 